fotka byt nemusi
Kutná Hora developed as a silver mining town in medieval times. The royal mint was established in 1300 and Kutná Hora started producing the Prague groschen coins. Kutná Hora thus became one of the most important political and economic centers of Bohemia. The increase of the importance was accompanied by an unusual construction development, including residential houses, churches and one of the country's most significant monasteries. Among the most important buildings in the area are the late Gothic, five-naved St Barbara Church, Vlašský dvůr (the former royal mint), the Church of St James, with its 85 meter tower, and the Gothic Stone House. Other important landmarks are located in nearby Sedlec.
The historical centre of Kutná Hora, together with the Church of St Barbara and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec, were added to UNESCO's World Heritage list in 1995.
The church of St Barbara, which is consecrated to the patron saint of all miners, symbolizes the power and importance of the mining city. Construction of this architectural gem began in the end of 14th century and it was not completed until 1905. The interior of the Church of St Barbara is decorated with medieval frescoes depicting the secular life of the medieval mining town.
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Sedlec, which was restored in line with the Baroque taste of the early 18th century, was to influence the architecture of central Europe.
The Sedlec Ossuary is a small chapel, located beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints in Sedlec. Its interior is artistically decorated by more than 40,000 human skeletons. The ossuary is among the most visited tourist attractions of the Czech Republic, attracting over 200,000 visitors yearly.
If you are interested in mining and processing of silver, you can also visit the Czech Museum of Silver and explore the medieval mining shafts and tunnels on one of the twenty levels below the town of Kutná Hora.
Photos: KF, commons.wikimedia.org.